One news story after another has been posted about the devastation that Harvey is leaving in its wake as it moves through Texas and into Louisiana, bringing to the forefront the urgent need for providers to ensure they have their Emergency Preparedness Plans (EPPs) in place ahead of the November 2017 CMS requirement. Disasters can happen at any time, and the last thing you want is to have your residents sitting in waist-deep water hoping emergency responders will show up quickly, like the residents at this Texas assisted living facility. Thankfully, those residents were indeed rescued from their flooded facility safely. Nursing homes were forced to implement evacuations plans ahead of Hurricane Harvey strengthening to a Category 4 hurricane mid-day Friday.
Likewise, over the weekend, many hospitals in Texas were forced to close in the Houston area as flood waters have risen to unprecedented levels, requiring evacuations of vulnerable populations. Should a natural disaster strike your area tomorrow, would you be ready to meet the needs of your resident population and safely evacuate and transfer if necessary? CMS Compliance Group’s EPP consultants can help you get prepared. Contact us today.
